To be fully HUMAN — A Daily Reflection

 

 

Matthew 2:1-12 NIV

 

So often we think of the Magi in the traditional way - three kings from the East, dressed in all their finery, bowing down in the stable before the Baby Jesus in the manger.  But that picture is a little skewed…

 

First, look at verse 11 … "On coming to the house…"  By the time the Magi arrived in Bethlehem , Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus had moved into a house, and were no longer cohabiting with the animals.  It is thought by some that Jesus was probably about two years old by the time these men arrived – that assumption made due to Herod’s order to kill all the male Hebrew children under the age of two. 

 

Also, we’re not at all certain how many of them there were… But, since three gifts are mentioned - gold, incense and myrrh - tradition holds that there were three of them.  However, they were not kings.  They were, however, "wise" men.  Some think they were exiled Jews who had remained in Babylon after the captivity… men who studied their own scriptures and saw the signs that the Messiah had been born.  However, this is highly unlikely, since these men came seeking the "King of the Jews" - a reference that would only be made by a non-Jew.  Some think they were astrologers, men who would study ancient manuscripts, including the scriptures, looking for special activities in the heavens.  Such men would pay particular attention to a new star that suddenly appeared and would follow it wherever it went.  Some hold that these men were not only Gentiles but were from three different countries, symbolizing through their actions the "bowing down" of the entire world before Jesus and also signifying that Jesus came for all men, not just for the Jews. 

 

Whoever, they were, they were wise… because they paid attention to prophesy… to the urging of the Holy Spirit… to whatever it was that revealed to them that the Christ Child had been born.

 

Perhaps the most significant message is a more subtle one … the fact that these men came seeking Jesus, making a long and perilous journey just to see Him, bringing precious gifts to lay at His feet.  How different they were from most of us!  They came seeking Him, rather than waiting for Him to find them.  They didn’t ask Him to explain Himself.  They didn’t ask Him to prove Who He was.  They didn’t ask Him for anything, but rather brought gifts, laid them at His feet, and then bowed down and worshipped Him.

 

Wise men and women today still seek Him, bow down and worship Him, lay the gift of their lives at His feet … not for what they can get out of it, but for what they have already received.  How wise are you?